Hi,
I just transfered my third batch of beer to the secondary fermenter and I have some questions about SG. My first batch I made an error in measurement and put in too much water so I had a very low starting gravity. The final product was a little diluted and probably very low alcohol but for a first batch, I think it turned out quite well.
I was more careful with the second and third batches and the starting gravity was normal in both cases: 1.050 for the Extra Special Bitter and 1.040 for the IPA. Both batches fermented in open primaries and as soon as the foam collapsed were siphoned into secondary fermenters. According to there instructions for both kits, the SG should be approximately 1.020 at this point, but for both it was much lower. The ESB had an SG of 0.012 when I put it in the secondary (all together It was 1 week in the primary) and 0.011 when I bottled it 2 weeks later. The IPA has been in the primary for 5 days and had an SG of 1.006 when I racked it today.
I'm curious why my SG seems to be dropping so much faster than what I read in books. Is this an indication of something wrong in my brewing process? The kits are from my local brewshop and use all malt, so there's no question of the amount of sugar to add. I pitched the yeast at 29 C for the ESB and 27 C for the IPA. Does anyone have any feedback on what might be going on here?
Thanks, M
I just transfered my third batch of beer to the secondary fermenter and I have some questions about SG. My first batch I made an error in measurement and put in too much water so I had a very low starting gravity. The final product was a little diluted and probably very low alcohol but for a first batch, I think it turned out quite well.
I was more careful with the second and third batches and the starting gravity was normal in both cases: 1.050 for the Extra Special Bitter and 1.040 for the IPA. Both batches fermented in open primaries and as soon as the foam collapsed were siphoned into secondary fermenters. According to there instructions for both kits, the SG should be approximately 1.020 at this point, but for both it was much lower. The ESB had an SG of 0.012 when I put it in the secondary (all together It was 1 week in the primary) and 0.011 when I bottled it 2 weeks later. The IPA has been in the primary for 5 days and had an SG of 1.006 when I racked it today.
I'm curious why my SG seems to be dropping so much faster than what I read in books. Is this an indication of something wrong in my brewing process? The kits are from my local brewshop and use all malt, so there's no question of the amount of sugar to add. I pitched the yeast at 29 C for the ESB and 27 C for the IPA. Does anyone have any feedback on what might be going on here?
Thanks, M